Combined corn and potato planter



(No Model.) 7

A. J. GOLBURN & 0. N. OHOATE.

COMBINED GORNAND POTATO PLANTER.

Patented Jan. 22, 1895 MZ E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC ADONIRAM J.OOLBURN AND CHARLES N. CHOATE, OF GREENVILLE,

MICHIGAN.

COMBINED CORN AND POTATO PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 532,767, dated January22,1895. Application filed September 4, 1894:- Serlal No. 522,020- (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ADONIRAM J. COL- BURN and CHARLES N. CHOA'IE,citizens of the United States, residing at Greenville, in the .county ofMontcalm and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in a Combined Corn and Potato Planter; and we do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in a combined corn and potatoplanter, and its 5 of the corn dropping attachment.

Like letters refer to like parts in all of the figures.

A represents any suitable tube, having near its upper end a longitudinalexternal chamber B, having slotted openings B through which openingspass bolts B to secure and vertically adjust the handle B. Said tube mayalso beclosed at the top by any suitable removable cap A. To the lowerend of the tube A is attached a beak, having a transversely flattenedlower end for entering the soil, and composedof a jaw O, rigidly securedto the tube A, and a movable jaw 0,. These jaws have paralleloverlapping sides and are connected to each other by pivotbolts D, D,which bolts traverse curved slots E in the sides of the fixed jaw 0,whereby the movable jaw C may be opened and closed, and also movedvertically a distance about equal to the length of said slot. Said slotis curved outward, at its middle portion to permit the jaws of the beakto separate somewhat to insure free movement of the movable 5o jaw andthe ends of said slot are so located as object is to provide the samewith certain the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4, a plan view to bringthe edges of the parallel sides of the fixed jaw closely within theangles 0 of the movable jaw, whereby the latter is stopped, or heldfirmly closedwhen the bolts D are in the lower ends of the slots E,andto prevent 5 5 the movable jaw from striking the tube when opened. Anarm F is attached to the movable jaw by means of a bolt G passingthrough a slot F in said arm to vertically adjust thesame. An upwardlyprojecting and detach- 6o able arm J is also attached by said bolt tooperate the corn dropper, which latter consists of a horizontallymovable slide K, having an opening or chamber K to receive the charge ofcorn, and having a downwardly opening gravity fiapN closing the bottomthereof. An 1 adjustable stop M, secured by a screw R, forms one side ofthe chamber K, whereby its capacity is adjusted to hold the properquantity of corn. Said slide K moves in a channel in a circular block L,which block forms a horizontal partition in the tube A, and rests on aninwardly'turned bead I. In the wall of said tube L is an opening throughsaid block L, through which the corn passes. 7

O is a stud attached to the slide K, which ex: tends through the side'ofthe tube A and engages a spring S, which spring presses the slide Ktoward the arm J. V

P is a flexible plate above the opening L, which separates the corn inthe opening K from that above and prevents the latter from passingthrough. An agitator Q consisting of a suitable wire bent twice at rightangles, and attached to the slide K and moving therewith insures properflow of the corn into the chamber K.

H is afoot rest, reversibly attached by bolts to the upper part of thefixed jaw O.

The operation of the corn planter is as fol- 9o lows: When the beak hasbeenthrust into the soil as far as the arm F willpermit, a forwardmovement of the upper part of the device causes the said arm to operateas a lever, which will open the beak by turning the mov- 9 5 able jaw Oon the pivots D. This moves the slide K inward and the flexible plate Pyields if any grains of corn are caught between its end and the angle ofthe stop M, thus saving the corn from breakage. The flap N drops roointothe opening L discharging the contents of the chamber K ,whichpasses into the soil opened by the beak; As the upper part of the deviceis moved farther forward the arm F lifts the beak out of the soil and asthe whole is lifted and moved forward to the next place, the beak closesand the slide K is moved back to place and is re-charged. It will beobvious that this retrograde movement of the slide K in conjunction withthe angle of the unyielding wall of the opening L causes the flap N torise into horizontal position simultaneously with its other movement,and the relative position of the parts is such that the fiap is closedbefore the chamber K passes far enough from under the plate I? to startthe flow of corn, and is held closed, in the discharge movement, untilthe plate P cuts off the flow of corn, thus securing accurate work. Byremoving the arm J, and the block L with the parts attached, and alsothe cap A, the device is converted into a potato planter. WVhen thusused the potatoes for each hill are dropped by hand into the tube A, andpassing down therethrough areheld within the closed beak, which afterinsertion in the soil, is first fully opened as before described, andthen as it is lifted from the soil the fixed jaw rises first, the boltsD traversing the slots E, thus eflfectually releasing the potatoes fromthe beak and allowing the earth to contact and hold them, while themovable jaw is finally being withdrawn from the soil.

WVhat we claim is- 1. In a planter, a beak having a fixedj aw, and amovable jaw pivoted to said fixed jaw, and also longitudinally movablerelative thereto, substantially as described.

2. In a planter, the combination of a tube, a fixed jaw secured to thesame, having parallel sides, and slots in the said sides, a movable jawengaging said fixed jaw, and having pivot bolts engaging and traversingsaid slots, substantially as described.

3. In a planter, a beak consisting of a fixed jaw, having parallelsides, having curved slotted openings, a movable jaw having parallelsides embracing the parallel sides of said fixed jaw, and anglesengaging the edges thereof; and pivot bolts connecting said fixed andmovable jaws, and traversing said slots, substantially as described.

a. In a planter, the combination of a tube, a fixed jaw attached to thesame having parallel sides, having slots, a movable jaw, having parallelsides and angles engaging the sides and edges of said fixed jaw, andpivot bolts connecting said fixed and movable jaws and traversing saidslots, and an adjustable arm attached to said movable jaw and proirespect to said fixed jaw, and an arm attached to said movablejaw andengaging the ground, substantially as described.

6. In a planter, the combination with the casing, a beak having a fixedjaw and a jaw movable longitudinally with respect to said fixed jaw, ofan arm attached to said movablejaw, and a seed dropping mechanismengaged by said arm, substantially as described and for the purposespecified.

7. Aplanter, consisting of a casing, a diaphragm therein having anopening, a chambered slide, a flap pivoted at one end to said slide,said flap being opened by gravity when the chamber of the slideregisters with the opening in the diaphragm and closed during theretrograde movement of said slide, a stop plate arranged above saidslide and over said opening so as to close said chamber when the flap isopen, a beak having a fixed jaw anda jaw movable longitudinally andoutwardly with respect to said fixedjaw, arms upon said movable jaw, oneengaging the ground and the other engaging an end of the slide, and aspring engaging the other end of said slide, substantially as described.

8. A combined corn and potato planter, embodying the casing, a beakhaving a fixed jaw and a movable jaw opening outward from said fixed jawand also movable longitudinally with respect thereto, a removable armmovable with said movable jaw, and a removable seed dropping mechanismoperated by said arm, substantially as described.

9. A combined corn and potato planter, consisting of the casing, a beakhaving a fixed jaw and a movable jaw pivoted to said fixed jaw and alsomovable longitudinally with respect thereto, an arm attached to saidmovable jaw and engaging the soil, an arm detachablysecuredto saidmovable j aw, a spring, a removable diaphragm within the casing, and aremovable slide above the diaphragm, said slide being forced in onedirection by said detachable arm and in the other direction by saidspring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

ADONIRAM J. COLBURN. CHARLES N. GIIOA'PE. Witnesses:

JOHN LEWIS, NELLIE HAIGHT.

